Free agency is a busy time in the NFL calendar, but PatriotsLife will be keeping you up-to-date on the latest developments across the league. Here's your breakdown of a busy Monday that set the table for what could be a bonkers free agent market. From a New England perspective, the big news of the day was the Pats slapping the tag on placekicker Stephen Gostkowski rather than safety...

Get ready, “Supermarket Sweep” for poorly run NFL franchises is set to begin Tuesday at 4 p.m.
When the 2015 NFL year officially begins, teams like the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars will start filling up their shopping carts with overpriced commodities, while teams like the New England Patriots will set back and wait for clearance sales.
There are a few players worth...

The Patriots may have messed up – big time.
Most were expecting that the franchise tag was going to be used on Devin McCourty, if it was going to be used on anybody; instead, they used it on Stephen Goskowski, the kicker.
Now, the former All-Pro safety is set to hit free agency, where anything can happen.
“I really didn’t know,” McCourty told ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Monday...

The New England Patriots just did what nobody thought they could do- they won the Super Bowl (their fourth) against the toughest defense in football, as if by a miracle in the waning moments.With 2014 a fresh memory in our minds, we look to 2015 with eager anticipation as the draft and free agency become hot topics and loom just moments away. The opinions are many and fierce as pundits...

The New England Patriots for the third time in the Bill Belichick era used their franchise tag on a kicker. The team assigned Stephen Gostkowski the designation after twice applying it to former kicker Adam Vinatieri. But while one free agent remains on track to return to Foxboro, MA in 2015, their biggest free agent on defense and the one player on defense who made such a huge impact...

Monday March 2nd officially marked the first day of the 2015 season where Patriots fans hit the panic button. After a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter that stated, "I expect Revis to hit the market" the first signs of Revis's departure hit the media. In addition, the Patriots placed the franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski after many expected them to tag Devin McCourty. In...

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots elected to use their franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, instead of on safety Devin McCourty.
McCourty, who had a $9.6 million tag number, spoke with ESPN’s Josina Anderson about the process following Monday’s deadline.
Anderson asked McCourty how he feels about the Patriots decision.
“I really didn’t know...

Patriots S Devin McCourty discussed his situation and not receiving the franchise tag with ESPN’s Josina Anderson Interestingly enough, McCourty said that he hasn’t heard much from the team leading up to today’s deadline to apply franchise tags. New England ultimately used the designation on K Stephen Gostkowski, which McCourty admits has increased the likelihood that...

The New England Patriots could have locked up Devin McCourty for at least one year Monday, and they chose to keep kicker Stephen Gostkowski instead.
Of course, there’s still a chance that McCourty could return on a long-term deal, but the Patriots chose not to franchise the All-Pro safety. McCourty acknowledged to ESPN’s Josina Anderson that there’s a chance he won’t return...

Deep breaths, New England Patriots fans. Deep breaths.
The Patriots won a Super Bowl a month ago, and suddenly a vocal contingent of fans on Twitter have lost their collective mind because head coach Bill Belchick applied the franchise tag to kicker Stephen Gostkowski, not safety Devin McCourty.
This basically means two things:
1. Gostkowski will be in a Patriots uniform next season...

Most people had guessed that if the Patriots were going to use their franchise tag, they’d use it on safety Devin McCourty, but, apparently, they didn’t feel the same way.
On Monday, the Patriots used their franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, which will pay him $4.1 million next season.
This could be an indication that the Patriots feel comfortable that they can get a...

Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots used their 2015 franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
Patriots placed their franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, per a league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2015
Gostkowski will make $4.126 million in 2015 unless he and the Patriots can agree on new deal before July 15.
Using the...

On March 10, the proverbial opening bell will be rung across the NFL landscape. The new league year will begin and with that, the much-anticipated crush of free agency.
With over 500 players hitting the market all at once, both restricted and unrestricted, teams will have plenty of options to choose from. Here are all the AFC free agents who can provide an impact, listed by 2014...

On March 10, the proverbial opening bell will be rung across the NFL landscape. The new league year will begin and with that, the much-anticipated crush of free agency.
With over 500 players hitting the market all at once, both restricted and unrestricted, teams will have plenty of options to choose from. Here are all the AFC free agents who can provide an impact, listed by 2014...

The offseason officially has begun for the New England Patriots.
The Patriots assigned their franchise tag to kicker Stephen Gostkowski, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The Patriots will pay Gostkowski $4.126 million if the two sides can’t reach a long-term deal before the 2015 season.
The Patriots chose not to tag safety Devin McCourty, which would have carried a $9.618...

Mike Reiss/ESPNAccording to NESN, if the Pats use the franchise tag, it will likely be on kicker Stephen Gostowski rather than Devin McCourty today's 4pm deadline. The franchise tag for a kicker is worth $4.5 million, as opposed to $9.5 million for safeties.Gostowski has been lights out for the Pats, missing only 2 field goals all season (none in the postseason) and he was perfect...

The Celtics ran out to a 26 point lead against the team many believe is the best in the NBA right now, the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics didn’t so much lose that lead and eventually the game, as they did return to the mean. What they did in the first half wasn’t really sustainable, but they remained competitive right to the end, and still had a chance to pull out the game...

If All-Pro safety Devin McCourty returns to the New England Patriots next season, then it might be on a long-term deal.
The Patriots are more likely to assign the franchise tag to kicker Stephen Gostkowski than McCourty, “multiple sources involved in discussions with those involved” told ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. Reiss noted that discussions are still fluid.
The cap figure for...

Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, citing multiple sources, reports that the Patriots are more likely to use their franchise tag on K Stephen Gostkowski than S Devin McCourty. Franchising Gostkowski would cost the Patriots close to $4.5 million guaranteed, while applying the designation to McCourty would run them around $9.5 million for the 2015 season. Reiss admits that things ...
The...

I hate to be the buzzkill when it comes to NFL free agency, but Jaguars fans are going to be disappointed once the market opens March 10 at 4 p.m.I hope I am wrong, but it would seem that the “greatest free agency year” in some time is starting to thin out. The players who were released this past week got the boot so most teams could re-sign their own players or make a run at...

Devin McCourty didn't know if the Patriots were going to give him the franchise tag but he said that wouldn't be the worst thing— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) February 25, 2015'There is a reason that S Devin McCourty was named the New England Patriots' Man of the Year. His charitable endeavors don't have an offseason. In conjunction with his brother Jason, CB for the Tennessee...

Don’t expect many new faces around Gillette Stadium next season.
The New England Patriots’ off months shouldn’t be about adding expensive outsiders, like last year, and instead about keeping the Super Bowl XLIX team together for another run.
The Patriots made headlines last offseason by signing cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner and wide receiver Brandon LaFell...

LOWELL, Mass. — Devin McCourty advocates eating smart, but Tom Brady takes it to another level.
McCourty was at Lowell High School Wednesday to congratulate students for winning a Fuel Up to Play 60 Instagram contest. During his panel discussion with ESPN Boston high school sports reporter Brendan Hall and Warren Shaw of Shaw Farm Dairy, the Patriots safety took a playful shot...

LOWELL, Mass. — Devin McCourty was still wearing navy and red Wednesday, but his time with the New England Patriots could be nearing an end.
The All-Pro safety is a free agent this offseason and will officially hit the open market on March 10 if the Patriots don’t franchise him before that date. He was still wearing his Patriots gear at Lowell High School for their Fuel Up to...

With the 2015 NFL Free Agency period set to begin on March 10, teams are finalizing their targets to help fill out their roster before the draft.The Tennessee Titans are sitting with nearly $47 million in cap space and a roster that is in need of some serious rebuilding.With as bad as the 2-14 team was last season, the fan base took a beating. High expectations coming into the season...

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!

Company Info

Help

What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.